HRM ASSIGNMENT

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Title Page

Table of Contents 2
Introduction

Recruitment 4
Training

Performance Appraisal

Example- OSullivan
Agri
7
Conclusion and
Bibliography
8

Introduction
For this assignment, the author was required to conduct a Human Resource Management
(HRM) audit of a company with which they were familiar such as a summer or part-time job.
The brief stated the audit should examine three aspects of HRM in the chosen company and
compare these situations with text book/journal article examples of good practise. The
assignment combines theory, practise and the authors lived experiences.
Human Resource Management can be defined as the effective use of human resources in an
organisation through the management of people. HRM is the management of an
organisations workforce, it is responsible for the attraction, selection, training, assessment,
and rewarding of employees, while also overseeing organisational leadership and culture and
ensuring compliance with employment. Human Resources Management is the strategic
management of the employees, who individually and collectively contribute to the
achievement of the strategic objectives of the organisation ( Introducing Human Resource
Management, p9).
Every company/business aims to achieve its strategic goals by attracting, retaining and
developing employees, HRM functions as the link between the organisation and the
employees. A company should first become aware of the needs of its employees whether it is
self-actualisation or safety needs, and at a later stage, understand and evaluate these needs in
order to make its employees perceive their job as a part of their personal life, and not as a
routine obligation. Human Resource Management is very crucial for the whole function of an
organisation because it allows the company to create loyal employees, who are ready to offer
their best for the business.
A company cannot create or build a good team of working professionals without following
Human Resource Management guidelines. The main functions of a HRM team include
recruiting people, training them, performance appraisals, motivating employees as well as
workplace communication, workplace safety and much more. The HRM departments role is
to be a neutral in the organisation and to ensure the smooth running of the company. All
employees are to be treated equally and fair, if any complaints arise the HRM should solve it
immediately.
The brief stated the audit should examine three aspects of HRM in the chosen company and
compare these situations with text book/journal article examples of good practise. This author
has chosen to research recruitment, training and performance appraisal. There aspects of
HRM will be reviewed in literature and will be compared to a local business where one works
part-time. The company which will be mentioned is OSullivan Agri Camolin, which is based
in County Wexford.

Recruitment
The process of recruitment is directed at obtaining suitably qualified employees, laying the
groundwork for the selection process by providing a number of suitable applicants from
whom the selectors may choose from. Recruitment can be defined as all activities directed
towards locating potential employees, it is the attraction of applications from suitable
applicants.
There are many aims of recruitment, these include;

To obtain a pool of suitable candidates for vacant posts

To use and be seen to use a fair process
To ensure that all recruitment activities contribute to company goals and a desirable
company image
To conduct recruitment activities in an efficient and cost-effective manner

Companies undergoing recruitment must carry out certain procedures before beginning the
recruitment process. Procedures for recruitment include preparing all supporting documents
such as job descriptions and person specifications or competency profiles. Organisations must
also review the guidelines on actions to be taken such as writing and placing advertisements,
and administrative procedures related to contacting prospective candidates(Introducing
Human Resource Management p58) .
When an organisation has a vacancy to fill, they must decide what the best way to let people
know is. Methods of advertising the existence of vacancies include;

Company notice boards

Job centres
Radio/television
Internet sites
Local newspapers
Recruitment agencies
Professional journals

Legal, moral and business issues have a big impact on decisions made about the recruitment
process. There is a particular importance of equality of opportunity in employment.
Organisations go through a range of policies and procedures involved in effective recruitment
and try to emphasise on the need for a methodical approach. Companies must support there
process of recruitment using job descriptions, person specifications/competency profiles and
well designed advertisements and application forms.

Training
It is very important for organisations to plan the training that employees may need.
Companies gain the benefits of training by having employees with improved skills and
productivity for the workforce (Introducing Human Resource Management p192). However,
training can be costly towards a business so it is vital to provide training of the right type for
the people who need it. There are four stages involved in the training process, these are;
1. Assessing the training needs
2. Planning the training,
3. Carrying out the training
4. Evaluating the training.
1) When assessing the training needed, companies can examine the job that has to be
done and the knowledge, skills or competencies needed to do it. A job analysis needs
to be undertaken to establish what is involved in the job. From this a job description
and a training specification can be written.
2) Once a training need has been identified, the organisation must decide how the
training should be carried out. It can be done internally or externally depending on the
businesss finances and the resources available to them to carry out the training. There
may be advantages and disadvantages to both methods, companies must decide which
is most cost effective.
3) When carrying out the training, it is important to ensure that all intended to be
involved are aware in time. A letter should be sent to the course participants, people
involved in the running of the course, and the supervisors and managers of the
organisation.
4) This is the most important stage of the training process. If no evaluation is carried out
then the organisation will not know whether the training has been successful or not
and whether the training objectives have been met. This may waste money and
training resources for the business.

Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal can be defined as a systematic approach to evaluating employees
performance, characteristics or potential with a view to assisting with decisions in a wide
range of areas such as pay, promotion, employee development, and motivation (Gunnigle,
Heraty & Morley, 2002: 176). It is one way of giving employees feedback about their
performance at work, it is an opportunity to take an overall view of work content, loads and
volume, to look back on what has been achieved during the reporting period and agree
objectives for the next year.
An annual performance appraisal can have benefits for all involved in the organization.
Benefits for the employee are that a performance appraisal is an indicator that your employee
cares about your well being and career satisfaction (Picher, S. Human Resource Management
p24). Employees understand the reasoning behind human resource decisions regarding salary,
promotions and work assignments, as well as the opportunity to request development
opportunities in the form of training or an expanded work role. Employees can receive
recognition for accomplishments and has the opportunity to set goals for the future. The
organization as a whole can have many benefits; the performance appraisal can fortify
corporate goals and provide information for human resource planning regarding training,
promotions, work assignments, and recruitment. It can also assist in matters of conflict by
documenting instances of discrimination or employee grievance (Archer North: Benefits of
Appraisal). Overall performance appraisal should result in improved morale among staff.

Example - OSullivan Agri Camolin

Recruitment
From past experience, OSullivan Agri follows the recommended guidelines when recruiting
future or possible employees. They identify a need or position available in their workforce,
while taking the necessary steps in obtaining a suitable candidate for the position.
OSullivans ensures that all recruitment activities contribute to company goals and a
desirable company image; they conduct recruitment activities in an efficient and costeffective manner while appointing a suitable person for the job available. Before employing
someone, they take the appropriate procedures in writing a job description and a person
specification or competency profile. O Sullivans advertise in local newspapers, on the
internet and in recruitment agencies. They have a particular importance on equality of
opportunity and make sure to go through a range of policies and procedures involved in
effective recruitment.
Training
OSullivan Agri feel they gain the benefits of providing staff with the necessary skills and
qualities needed to work in the establishment. Speaking from experience, they provide
internal training which is cost efficient and they can alter the training to what suits them best.
There training is based on the type of work which they carry out so employees are gaining
experience while improving their ability. They can access how the workers are coping with
the training and may act on this according to how they feel is necessary.
Performance Appraisal
At OSullivan Agri, they have an annual performance appraisal to see how employees are
performing compared to the goals are expectations set for them. This helps OSullivans keep
track of their overall achievements for the year and allow them to set new and improved
standards. Employees receive feedback on their performance which can give them a sense of
achievement or if negative a drive to improve and perform better. The organisation can
review how they performed overall as a team and whether they are performing to their full
capability. OSullivans believe the morale of employees and the managers improve as a
result of performance appraisal.

Conclusion
For this assignment we were required to conduct a Human Resource Management audit of a
company with which we are familiar. This author chose to write about OSullivan Agri, a
company based in County Wexford where he currently works part-time. Throughout this
audit the researcher has examined three aspects of HRM which are recruitment, training and
performance appraisal. One researched and investigated the literature behind these aspects
and then compared it to the working practise in my chosen company. This assignment
combines theory, practise and the authors own personal experiences which helped him
understand and discover the advantages of Human Resource Management. From this
assignment and the research undertaken, one feels there are many comparison between the
literature and the practises being displayed in OSullivans. They follow very important
guidelines to allow them the best chance to be successful. They obey all the necessary
policies and procedures while implementing the correct equality of opportunity in business.

Bibliography

http://o-sullivan-agricultural-services.wexford.agriculturalsuppliers.agriservices.tel
Foot, M, Hook, Caroline (2002). Introducing Human Resource Management.
Essex : Pearson Education ltd. 58-258.
Picher, S. Human Resource Management Sep/Oct2012, Vol. 51 Issue 5,
p709-732. 24p.